The Spirit Comes to the Ephesian Twelve (AI generated image)
This is Part 6 in a series about the timing and precedent of receiving the Holy Spirit.
In Part 1, we saw that Jesus was first baptized, and then he received the Holy Spirit. In Part 2, we saw that the prescribed order of “first baptism, and then the Holy Spirit” for new covenant believers finds its precedent in Jesus’ baptism and subsequent reception of the Holy Spirit. Part 3 examined the Holy Spirit’s role in the salvation process. Part 4 examined the episode in Samaria resolving any issues of interpretation concerning the withholding of the gift of the Holy Spirit. Part 5 looks at the episode of Cornelius representing the Gentiles receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit before their water baptism.
And now, Part 6 looks at the disciples in Ephesus who had never received the gift of the Holy Spirit.
The interesting case in Ephesus involves the apostle Paul finding some disciples who had only been exposed to John the Baptist’s ministry influence. They knew nothing about Peter’s command to repent and be baptized in Jesus’ name for the forgiveness of sins in order to receive the promised gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38). What is Luke’s intention to tell this story?The episode in its entirety is brief enough to detail here, and I will then refer back to it.
It happened that while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed through the upper country and came to Ephesus, and found some disciples. 2 He said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” And they said to him, “No, we have not even heard whether there is a Holy Spirit.” 3 And he said, “Into what then were you baptized?” And they said, “Into John’s baptism.” 4 Paul said, “John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in Him who was coming after him, that is, in Jesus.” 5 When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking with tongues and prophesying. 7 There were in all about twelve men. (Acts 19:1-7 NASB)
By this point in the book of Acts, Luke has firmly established his theology of the Holy Spirit, beginning with the foundation of Pentecost and Peter’s normative command and order of water baptism for the forgiveness of sins as the prerequisite condition for receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit. Applying Luke’s paradigm here as well gives the correct interpretation of Luke’s intended meaning. Depending on one’s doctrinal paradigm of the Spirit, this has the potential to be a confusing narrative.
First, who exactly are these “disciples”? These men were “disciples” in a more generic sense of the term, and not in the exact Christian sense of the term as Luke elsewhere uses to refer to Christians. They were disciples in the general context of John’s influence, regardless of whether they experienced John first hand or through others (Luke does not give enough information to discern whether these disciples were actually John’s direct disciples). And one can only speculate as to how much they knew of Jesus and his teachings. In the end, it does not matter, because Paul sniffs out that they are deficient in their faith when he sees that they have not received the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Paul’s question, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” shows the normative order of Luke’s paradigm that belief, repentance, and baptism in Jesus’ name for the forgiveness of sins are the prerequisite conditions for receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit. “Believed” here represents the fullness of what it means to have obeyed the normative teaching on receiving salvation and the gift of the Spirit (Acts 2:44; 4:4; 4:32; 8:12; 9:42; 11:17; 16:34; 17:12; 17:34; 18:8; 18:27), or about to obey it (Acts 8:12-13; 8:36-37; 10:43), and this is most likely what Paul means by it.
But their answer is, “No, we have not even heard whether there is a Holy Spirit.” This answer likely refers to these disciples never having heard of the events of Pentecost and the Spirit being poured out. As disciples influenced by John’s ministry and receiving John’s baptism, they would have at least known that John’s baptism of repentance was a forerunner to Jesus and the Spirit; however, they were unaware of these developments concerning the Spirit.
Paul then asks, “Into what then were you baptized?” And they said, “Into John’s baptism.” Their answer confirms Paul’s suspicion that they are uninformed about Pentecost, the Spirit, and how one receives the gift of the Spirit.
Notice here that Paul realizes these are disciples in some sense, and that they were believers in Jesus to the best of their understanding. This is why he asks them if they received the Spirit when they “believed.” Believed in what? In Jesus, of course. Or else they would have said they have not even heard whether Jesus was raised from the dead. That Paul asks, “Into what then were you baptized?” follows Luke’s paradigm exactly, as Spirit baptism (receiving the gift of the Holt Spirit) normatively follows on the heels of water baptism in Jesus’ name for the forgiveness of sins. Paul is reverse-engineering their condition: if no Holy Spirit, then no baptism in Jesus’ name for the forgiveness of sins.
Finally understanding their condition, Paul means to correct their deficient understanding and faith by baptizing them in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of their sins so that they will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38). Paul thus says, “John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in Him who was coming after him, that is, in Jesus.” And look at their response: “When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.”
At this exact point, they have submitted to the lordship of Christ, having been baptized in his name, and thus have received everything that the Bible teaches the repentant believer receives in the water of baptism, mainly, justification (forgiveness) and regeneration (see Part 3). Per Luke’s Holy Spirit paradigm, they do not receive the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit in the water of baptism, as water baptism is the condition to be met so that one may then receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. This tracks perfectly with Luke’s narrative and intended meaning, because in this narrative, after their water baptism, something is still missing. And this something that is missing is the entire point of Luke’s narrative: “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” Luke intends to show the reader how they receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
They only receive the gift of the Holy Spirit after their obedience to water baptism when Paul places his hands on them: “And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking with tongues and prophesying.” This was Paul’s normative way to convert people. And thus, Luke’s narrative and intended meaning are complete. When applying the correct paradigm, Luke’s paradigm, this episode becomes one of the cleanest examples of the normative order of “first baptism, and then the Holy Spirit.” It shows the biblical doctrine beautifully that the Spirit’s work in salvation is of a different scope and timing than what it means to receive the gift of his indwelling, empowering presence.
Interpretive Problems
As we saw in Part 4 with the Samaritans, and Part 5 with Cornelius and the Gentiles, an incorrect doctrinal starting point that is at odds with Luke’s theological paradigm of the Holy Spirit will produce a problematic interpretation.
For those who hold to the position that one receives the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit at, in, or in order for the Spirit to work salvation in water baptism (or in whatever moment one believes the Spirit works forgiveness and regeneration), this produces significant problems. (I call this the “conflated” position as it mixes and presses both the salvation work of the Spirit and what it means to receive him as the gift of his indwelling presence into the moment of justification and regeneration.)
According to this conflated doctrinal position, both the Spirit’s work of salvation and receiving his indwelling presence must happen in these Ephesians’ water baptism for the forgiveness of sins. And this presents a problem because it is only after this moment of justification and regeneration that they receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. So, when Paul places his hands on them, and the Spirit “comes on them,” this has to be forced to mean something other than the gift of the Holy Spirit; but showing that these Ephesian men receive the gift of the Spirit is the entire purpose of Luke’s narrative here.
This conflated position must change the meaning here, even though we know that in other places we have a precedent that the one gift of Holy Spirit can be given through the laying on of hands (Acts 8:14-19; Acts 9:17; 2 Timothy 1:6). So here, this must be pressed to mean something different, because this position requires receiving the gift of the Spirit for forgiveness and regeneration. But this narrative is clear that it is the Spirit himself, the indwelling gift, the baptism of the Holy Spirit, received on the heels of the salvation work God has done in water baptism. And it is the Spirit himself who enables tongues and prophecy as the proof and empowerment of his indwelling presence.
Some interpret receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit in this narrative as merely a later empowerment through Paul’s hands, or as a “second work of grace,” as in the Pentecostal doctrine of subsequence. These doctrinal positions are applied in this narrative in order to try to make sense of what the incorrect “conflated” position produces—two receiving moments of the gift of the Holy Spirit—one of an indwelling nature for initial salvation, and one later of a coming upon nature for empowerment. However, the doctrine of subsequence is a result of a misunderstanding that the Spirit’s work in salvation is of a different scope and timing than what it means to receive the gift of his indwelling presence. According to the biblical paradigm, it is not God’s work of salvation by the Spirit (the prerequisite) that conveys the empowerment for ministry, but it is receiving the gift of his indwelling presence that enables the believer for empowerment, which is only one aspect of the Spirit’s indwelling ministry and presence.
In summary, Luke specifically shows the reader how Paul corrects the deficient, Spirit-less faith and understanding of these twelve Ephesian disciples. Specifically, Luke shows how they receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, the very thing that is missing and which is the entire point of the narrative: “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” Luke shows the reader just how they finally receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
This episode in Ephesus really brings out the clear and normative precedent of “first baptism, and then the Holy Spirit,” as well as the biblical paradigm (Luke’s paradigm) that the Spirit’s work in salvation is of a different scope and timing than what it means to receive the gift of his indwelling presence, or the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
In Part 7, I will set out the specific definition of the baptism of the Holy Spirit—what it is, and what it means.
